


A Little Thing About Dying...

by SuperiorJello



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-17
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-16 01:43:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1327141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperiorJello/pseuds/SuperiorJello
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Delena. After Elena has turned, the college trip where Damon teaches Elena to drink and have fun leads down a slightly different path than the show. Also, time travel. Yeah...</p><p>I change the rules of the sire bond a little. And just interpret how things are said a little differently. And there's some blood stuff. It's a vampire show, so, ya' know. Deal with it. Or Leave. Your choice. One thing I really dislike about the whole Twilight trend is the part where vampires are made to look like fluffy little misunderstood kittens, or they are 'trying to reclaim lost humanity' or whatever. I like how Damon doesn't act like that. He can revel in it.</p><p>I also change a couple things about vampires, at least that I can remember being in the show. You watch enough vampire stuff, it all gets kinda muddled. Anywho, the vampires in my version don't need to breathe. TVD constantly has vampires attacking each other in the show by blocking off the windpipe and cutting off breath, but vampires are DEAD they don't need oxygen to live. So yeah, that's gone. Also, their really good sense of smell and hearing are actually used. Because that's totally a thing. Also night vision. Because Vampires. Duh.</p><p>Thanks for reading! (*''*)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Murder House

The flashing lights strobed over the crowd, allowing for the occasional insight into the madness that was the Whitmore campus frat party. The students, dressed in the theme of famous murderers and their victims, were pressing against each other in the darkened rooms, loud music and alcohol rushing through their veins. Elena, Damon, and Bonnie slipped through the main entrance, mixing in with the students easily. Elena glanced at Damon, who looked completely at home in his period-set top hat and suit, reminding her of just how many decades he'd lived through.

As they paused just inside the door, a guy dressed exactly how Elena would picture the stereotypical frat-boy swaggered over to them. "Hey, I'm Frankie." He introduces himself, looking her and Bonnie over. "I'm assuming serial killer." He adds as his eyes flick over to Damon, sizing up the newcomer who has two beautiful girls on his arms.

"Jack." Damon replied drolly. "And these are the two lovely ladies I just... rippered." His mouth quirked, obviously loving the slur on his brother.

"Welcome to the Murder House! Bloody Mary's free until midnight. Enjoy yourselves." He shoves the drinks into their hands, then wanders off.

"Well, hats off to these idiots." Damon murmurs, sarcastically going through the motion. "Oh look, it's Professor Creepy!"

"His name is professor Shane, and he's not creepy. I'm gonna go talk to him." Bonnie replies, gathering her skirts and glaring at Damon before storming off.

"You do that." He says to her retreating back.

Resting his free hand on the small of her back, Damon proceeds to guide Elena into the next room- the source of the music apparently somewhere nearby.

"Inebriated sleazeballs covered in blood. Come on, pick one." He teases, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him. It's a hard fight, but she forces herself to step out of his touch before scanning the crowd. Sinking into hunting mode, she can feel the energy pouring off of them, the tang of sweat tingling in her nose, the blood rushing through their veins audible to her vampire hearing. Her eyes fall on a guy just as she sees him slip something into a girl's drink.

"I think I found one."

"Roofie guy?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Nice choice. Go get him."

Soon enough, she has him in a side room, no one else around. When he goes in for the kiss, she shoves him against the wall, then moves in, asserting her dominance.

"Stay there and don't make a sound." Her pupils dilate as she enforces her will, then goes in for the neck.

Damon walks in then, sees Elena beginning to embrace her new life, and smiles.

"Just make sure not to take too much. Elena. Elena?" A hint of worry enters his voice, worry that she'll be like his brother, that she'll lose control like Stefan. But then she lets go, and he breathes a sigh of relief.

"Now go, and forget this." She instructs the boy, and he wanders back into the party, looking dazed.

"Nice touch. So, how do you feel?" he asks, hope laced through the words. She runs her hand across her mouth, wiping off the excess blood.

"I feel... I feel good!" she exclaims, smiling widely, joy in every inch of her face. And then she hugs him, and he can feel her vibrating with... excitement? Hunger? Whatever it is, he'll do anything to make her smile like that again.

"I want more." she whispers into his ear.

And he smiles.

And so she feeds. And again. And again, picking victims one by one, never taking more then they could handle. Soon she and Damon are dancing in the midst of a group of people, both with blood dripping down their chins, the bloodlust rushing through their veins, bodies moving with the music.

"Don't scream." She tells the girl dancing in front of her. "This isn't going to hurt."

Her fangs sink easily into the girl's neck, the hot blood pouring into her mouth, the iron tang sticky sweet as she drinks. Letting go, she continues dancing, arms in the air as she smiles and moves smoothly to the beat. She and Damon end up face to face, and she can smell the blood on his skin, see the thinly veiled lust in his eyes. She dances closer to him, wanting to feel him against her. Her hands glide over his torso as she lifts her arms to place them around his neck, and it feels so right to be there in this moment, dancing in his embrace. Tilting her head to look into his eyes, she realizes she could almost lick the blood from his chin as she moves with him. She leans in, but her eyes flick past him as she hears a familiar gasp, and time seems to freeze.

Bonnie is standing in the doorway, eyes wide in shock, then narrowing in disgust as she turns and runs out of the room.

"Bonnie!" Elena yells, following her out of the room. She thinks she's lost her as she reaches the doorway, but then she catches a brief glimpse of her skirt heading out the front door, and follows.

"Bonnie, I... I don't..." Elena stammers at her friend's back as she follows her away from the party.

"What are you doing Elena? What were you thinking?" Bonnie turns then, facing her as they stand on the empty lawn. Her accusations strike like daggers as Elena stands there, confused, ears still pounding from the music inside. This is Bonnie, she thinks to herself. Bonnie's been my friend since I was little, helped me through the death of both my parents, helped me against countless things that've tried to get me killed, and now I have been killed, and she's still here, but I'm making her mad. Does that make me bad? Am I a bad person?

"I don't... I don't know. Who am I Bonnie? Why am I acting like this?" Her memories flash back to when she had found out the habits of the Salvatore brothers, and how she had probably looked just like Bonnie did now. But she doesn't say it's in her nature now, like Damon, or try to hide how much she wants blood, like Stefan. She just stands there, the joy she had felt just a moment ago no longer anywhere to be seen. 

"Because you listened to Damon, and Damon makes everything he wants sound like a good idea." Bonnie replies steadily, clearly an answer she had prepared.

And those words sound wrong somehow, but Elena can't figure out why.

"No!" she shouts, unable to stop herself. "You're wrong!" Bonnie now looks just as confused as Elena feels- she sure doesn't know why she said that. So she tries to use logic to come up with an answer.

"I should be here with Stefan." She states after a moment's deliberation. It's the only reasonable thing she can think of to explain her reaction to Bonnie's words. "I should be going through this with Stefan. The idea wasn't wrong, it's just..." But it still doesn't feel quite right, that answer. She tries to catch it, that feeling whispering through her thoughts- but is interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"I'm guessing we should hit the road." Damon's here now, and her thoughts get all muddled again. When she thinks of what she nearly did at the party... her hand goes to her mouth, doubt clouding her mind. What was she thinking?

"You were supposed to help her, and you let her get completely out of control!" Bonnie accuses, advancing towards Damon menacingly.

"She's not out of control, she was having fun." he snarks back, hands on his suspenders.

"This isn't fun! She's acting like a different person-"

"She IS a different person! She's a vampire! We're a predatory species. We enjoy the hunt, the feed, and the kill. When the guilt gets too bad, we switch off our humanity, and we revel in it." he looks past Bonnie at that point, and sees Elena steadily looking back at him. It catches him off guard, this silent acceptance of his words. Normally she'd be telling him just how wrong he was, how vampires were still human and could make choices to be different if they were strong enough. Or she'd being agreeing with Stefan as he told Damon that. But now...

"Is that what you want? For her to be like you?" Bonnie's hate-filled words jar him out of his thoughts, and he breaks off his study of Elena to glare at the witch.

"She already IS like me." He snaps. Bonnie scoffs at his words, but he continues. "And you know what makes me able to drink my fill, and leave someone breathing and not rip their head off like my brother? I can revel in it. I can make it FUN." He shoves past Bonnie, resuming eye contact with Elena until he passes her too and storms off towards the car.


	2. The Breakup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena gets mad. Because she deserves to.

"I'm sorry Damon." She whispers as they walk up her front steps, keeping her eyes focused on the ground. "Things got a little heated at the party and... I shouldn't have let that happen." She raises her eyes momentarily, but then lets them fall again. "It's just that I feel like-"

"What do you feel, Elena?" He cuts her off, grasping her hand in his as he raises her chin with the other, forcing her to look at him.

"When you tell me what a vampire should be, I think that, deep down, you're right. And that scares me, Damon. When I see-"

"Elena!"

The front door to her house is quickly opened, and Stefan is standing there.

"Stefan, what are you doing here?" she asks, tugging her hand out of Damon's. She doesn't want Stefan to be here, she realizes. She wants to finish talking to Damon, but there's little chance of that now. As soon as his younger brother had appeared, his easy manner had shifted ever so slightly to one of faint hostility. He didn't want Stefan here.

"I had a few things to talk to Jeremy about. And I wanted to see how things went for you as well." Stefan's eyes flickered between her and Damon, clearly he didn't want his brother here either.

"Find out anything new about the hunter?" Damon asks, hands resting easily at his sides, but ready to spring into action.

"Nope."

"Well then, today was a bust. She's all yours." And he disappears.

"So... how was it?" Stefan's worry causes his voice to waver, and his once charming concern starts to grate on her, but she pushes it aside.

"Well, I learned how to feed without hurting someone." She smiles at the memory, the taste of the blood, the music... and shakes herself. "It... it was awful. I got caught up in it and Bonnie... well, she saw me and..." she slumped.

"Here, lets get you upstairs." He quickly lifts her and speeds into her room, shutting the door behind him. "It's gonna be okay." He murmurs as he settles her on the bed. "I won't force you into drinking human blood again, we'll find another way. You don't have to go through it again. I'll even keep Damon away from you, hard as that will be-"

"NO!" she shouts for the second time that night, throwing him across the room, then holding him against the wall by the neck, a move that would strangle him if vampires had to breathe. "You will do NO SUCH THING!"

Then she backs off, surprised by her reaction. "Stefan... I think... We should break it off?" The end is almost phrased like a question.

"Elena, what's..." The words sink in. "Why, Elena? What could possibly have happened? What?"

"I just don't..." She starts, then wavers. Why is she even reacting like this? Oh. OH.

Damon.

Ever since she died. Even before she'd died, Damon had been sneaking up on her, her thoughts more often going to Damon than they ever went to Stefan. But she'd pushed that away, because, as Caroline had said countless times, she and Stefan were just so perfect together. Or she thought they had been. But they weren't. Not anymore, even if they had been. She had changed.

"It's Damon, isn't it? He's gone and-" His thoughts were apparently in the same general area as hers, but he sounded like he was about to accuse his brother of something that Damon had only been hoping for, not actively trying to bring about.

"Stefan." She looks at him, and smiles sadly.

"Stefan, the night I died, when I was forced to say goodbye to either you or Damon, I was already on my way to him. But I turned around, and had Matt drive me to you. And that's why I was on that bridge. The last thing human me did was choose you."

He doesn't even blink, just keeps gazing at Elena steadily, knowing that there's more coming.

"But then that girl died. And I'm sorry Stefan, but I'm a different person now. And you're going to have to accept that. And what I need is-"

"Damon." he says softly.

And then he's gone.

Elena spends the next while just sitting there, thinking through everything that's happened. But then she goes looking for Damon.

She finds him at the grill. He's sitting at the bar, whiskey in hand, staring forlornly ahead. Just as she heads towards him, Bonnie steps into her path.

"What do you think you're doing? You need to stay away from him- didn't you see what happened to you tonight? He's bad for you Elena."

"No he isn't Bonnie. He's a vampire. And guess what? So am I. I just figured out my my feelings about what happened at the party, and I've realized something. We're not human anymore, we vampires. And that's something that Stefan and everyone here in Mystic Falls has been trying to forget. Except for Damon and Klaus. Okay, maybe Klaus isn't the best example of a well adjusted vampire, but he's got one thing right. We're predators. We hunt, we feed, hell, we even kill when we need to. And guess what? It's FUN. I was having a great time at the party. But then you walked in. And you saw me, having fun, eating well for the first time-"

"Practically all over Damon." And it feels like a slap in the face, that utter rejection of her opinion, her feelings.

"See? There you are judging me. Like a little judgy... Witch." she hisses, tears in her eyes.

"I think I used that exact phrase once before, actually." Quips Damon as he moves over, placing a hand on Elena's back, which allows her to calm down at least a little bit, warmth spreading through her just from the knowledge that he was there to support her. She lays a hand over his, thanking him for being there.

"Well, you were dead right." She replies, and he smirks. "So, Bonnie, if you are going to keep making me feel bad for who I am, then you can go stuff it. I'll be over here, living my very long life, and not regretting a minute of it." Then she rushes out the door, slamming it behind her.

Damon stands there, stunned for a moment, then turns to follow her.

"I hope you're happy." says Bonnie, who then rushes off to the back.

Elena comes face to face with Caroline just outside.

"There you are. I have been looking all over for you." Elena can immediately tell that she's annoyed about something, but can't find it in herself to care.

"Go away Caroline."

"No, cause you know what? Stefan is currently sitting in my house, staring at nothing and not saying a word. So you'd better tell me what the HELL is happening."

Elena looks away, digging her nails into her palms to keep from screaming in frustration. "I broke up with him." She says softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard. Because you did not just say-"

"I BROKE UP WITH HIM, OKAY?" she yells, hands clenched into fists and glaring daggers at Caroline. Who looks stunned for a second before regaining her composure.

"No. Not okay. That is many miles away from okay. What were you thinking? Has the vampire blood gone to your head?" And Elena has had enough. Had her friends been treating her like this since her parents had died, or was this a new development? Maybe she just hadn't noticed because she was too busy being depressed, but now she had some serious buildup of emotion, and was tired of being ignored.

"No. You want to know what happened? I opened my eyes, Caroline. I wasn't in love with Stefan. Maybe at first, but not anymore. He was a safety blanket, Car. He protected me, and so I held on to him. And he wasn't even good at it! He ripped my heart out when he left, and he didn't try to fix it. But you know who did? Stefan doesn't make me happy, so why-"

"But he was perfect for you! He was-"

"He didn't understand me! He wanted a version of Catherine, the one from his dreams. Not me. He loves the idea of me, of human me, a doll he can dress up and carry about."

"You're wrong. He's not so obsessed with the past that-"

"He spent months stalking me before he even introduced himself, 'making sure I wasn't Catherine in disguise', is what he called it. You know what he could have checked? If I had a freaking heartbeat. The first time Damon ran into me, it took him 5 seconds to figure it out. 5."

"There you go, bringing Damon into it-"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means Elena? You spent an afternoon with him, and now you're leaving Stefan? Obviously he's up to someth-"

Elena grabs Caroline and speeds into the alley, slamming her against the wall and holding her there.

"Don't even. Don't make this into some 'fix Elena' or 'attack Damon' bullshit. Because I'm just fine, thanks. And so is he. Isn't that right, Damon?" she asks as he strolls into the alley.

"I am quite fine, Elena, thank you for noticing. And I couldn't help but notice that you look quite lovely this evening. Getting in your daily assault, I see-I've heard that's good for the abs. Or was it the glutes?"

"Damon, why don't you come a little closer so I can rip you a new one?"

"Don't you even think about it." replies Elena, digging her nails in where she's holding Caroline.

"Ladies, please, no need to fight over me. There's more than enough to go around."

"Oh, grow up Damon." Snaps Caroline, looking as tough as one can while being pinned against a wall.

"Don't worry Caroline, I wouldn't take you anyways. You're a bitch to deal with, unless I compel you otherwise." he remarks, and smirks.

Caroline hisses and wrenches away from Elena's grasp, then storms off. Damon turns to Elena, who is still fuming.

"So... That was sexy. And... Not your usual... How do I phrase this?" He walks over to her, looking into her eyes.

Elena takes one look at him and breaks down sobbing into his arms.

"I broke up with Stefan. I yelled at Bonnie. I yelled at Caroline... And they all deserved it. So why am I crying Damon? Why am I crying?"

"Shhhhh. It's okay. You're just emotionally overloaded. Here, I'll take you home, and you can cry yourself out, then you'll feel much better in the morning." He says softly, lifting her up and starting to speed carry her home.

"Wait." She says, turning to look at him, and he slows, looking down to her. Their eyes meet.

"Take me to your place. Jeremy's at mine. I can't... I just can't..."

"Of course."


	3. The Beginnings Of Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff, which will lead into the next bit of plot.

She falls asleep in his arms, so Damon takes her straight to a guest room. Gently he lays her down on the bed and turns to leave, but she catches his sleeve with her fingertips. 

"Don't leave me." she asks, her eyes, which are still full of tears, looking hopefully into his own.

"Never."

They fall asleep curled around each other. 

When she wakes up, he's still there, watching the morning light play over her face. She smiles, and nuzzles into his chest. 

"Elena."

"Good morning Damon."

"Good morning, Elena."

"I love you, Damon." She whispers into his chest. 

"As much as I've been longing for those words since... Elena, don't you think you're going a little fast? I mean, you just broke up with my brother. I want you to be sure." 

"Do you not believe me?" She looks up, searching his eyes. 

"I don't know what to believe. I've known for months that you felt something, but you always went to Stefan."

"That's because Stefan was... Safe, Damon." She's sitting up now, holding his hands and looking into his eyes as she struggles with the words. "Ever since my parents died, I had been hiding in a shell. Stefan let me stay in it. He didn't push me, he didn't challenge me. He told me I was good the way I was. That I didn't need to change. And he protected me from things that would have changed me."

"How am I any different?" He asks. "I would sacrifice anything to keep you safe."

"You keep me safe from the actual threats. But if I need to suffer a little pain to learn a lesson the hard way, you let me. Sometimes you even cause that pain. You love me no matter what I am, no matter how broken I am, but you want me to be better. You see a sad girl and want to make her smile. Stefan saw the sadness and told me it was poetry."

"That does sound like my little brother."

"But what set me off was yesterday. Damon, you showed me how to live when I'm dead. I've been trying so hard to get the old me back, I hadn't tried to learn how to be new me. You showed me yesterday that I don't have to be old me. I like being a vampire, Damon. Sure, I'll never age or have have children, but I can have you. Damon, you make me smile, and laugh and cry, and sometimes I want to throw you into a wall. But you make me feel so alive, I-"

Suddenly his face is right there, lips crashing into hers. Her surprise melts into happiness, and she pushes back with equal enthusiasm, nipping at his lips and licking off the blood. His tongue swipes over her lips, asking permission, and she lets him in.

At one point they think they hear a sound downstairs, but it is soon forgotten in the heat of their emotions, their bodies fitting together like pieces in a puzzle.

They spend the day like that. And the next, enjoying the fullness of their love, easing the past year of sexual tension that had hung between them, mapping out every detail of each other that had gone unlearned until now.

And when they're hungry, they go feed. The council no longer dumps vervain in the town's water supply, so it's laughably easy to get a quick meal and be done with it. But they know they've been ignoring the rest of the world for too long, so before they head back to house Salvatore, they decide to drop by the Grill.

"Damon! Elena!" Matt calls from the counter, and they head over. 

"I didn't expect to see you... here." He stammers, glancing at their clasped hands.

"Well, it's a free country." jokes Damon, sitting down at the bar and smiling as Elena snorts and swats at his head playfully.

"Though if you didn't expect to see us here, did you expect to see us elsewhere today?" asks Elena, resting her hand on Damon's shoulder, curious at Matt's phrasing.

"Well, Caroline asked me to drop by your- uh, the Salvatore house tonight." He notices how Elena's smile turns quickly into a scowl. "No, don't worry, she just wanted me to pass on a message. Her and Bonnie just want to talk. They'll be at Bonnie's place tomorrow afternoon. Please, just go talk to them."

"I'm not feeling very generous, right now. They aren't exactly happy with me, either." She replies curtly.

"And even less so with me." Adds Damon.

"Please, just try to talk things out. So the rest of us don't have to choose sides. Oh, and your brother misses you. That part's from Jeremy himself."

"Goodnight, Matt." She sighs, and she and Damon walk outside, without looking back.

"Night, Elena."


	4. Brotherly Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after, and a Jeremy visit.

She wakes up the next morning curled around Damon, which is her new favorite way to wake up. Noticing her eyes flutter open, he smirks and runs a hand down her chest, using his fingernails to break the skin, then licks up the ruby droplets as the wounds quickly close.

"Damon, I just woke up." she groans, rolling her eyes.

"So what? It's not like we get morning breath. And I know you got plenty to eat yesterday, so you can't possibly be hungry-" his words cut off in a sharp gasp as she latches onto his neck, fangs sinking in.

"Maybe a little hungry." She says as she lets go, smiling impishly. She's definitely awake now.

"You know what I meant- but I'm not going to argue the point-" he licks the blood dripping down her chin. "because now I've got you exactly where I want."

"Good thing we're on the same page then." She breathes, and pulls him closer.

A few hours later she and Damon are curled up on the couch in the living room, hair drying from the bath they just took, clad only in bathrobes. Nothing major going on, no one to kill, no one trying to kill them. Elena looks at Damon and smiles softly. It was never like this with Stefan, she thinks to herself. They couldn't just sit and be. He always had to push, to worry, to plan for the next problem.

How did she stand it? She asks herself. How did she stand that inability to accept the truth, to see clearly what needed to be fixed and what needed to just be left alone?

"How did I?" she mumbles into the silence of the house.

"Hmm?"

"I was just thinking about... the past. And certain relationships in said time."

"You mean Stefan."

"Yeah. I was just trying to figure out what I saw that made me fight so hard for him before, but now I can barely remember feeling anything more than sympathy. And anger, whenever I found out he had lied to protect me. Again."

"Hormones, probably. I sure as hell have no clue what anyone sees in my brother."

"You love him."

"Yeah, but he's my brother. I don't really have any choice in the matter."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Elena?" It was Jeremy.

"Coming!" She sped upstairs, threw on some clothes, then ran downstairs to open the door, making shooing motions at Damon to get dressed himself.

"Jeremy, hi!" she smiles, motioning for him to come in, then closing the door behind him. "Sorry I left you alone, but, well..."

"I heard." she anxiously searches his face for any trace of how he feels, but it's all hidden behind a mask. They walk into the living room and settle in before he speaks again.

"Elena, are you sure about this? It hasn't been very long since you've turned, what if your brain just hasn't sorted itself out yet?" She opens her mouth, angry tirade ready to pour out, but he stops her. "Don't get mad at me, sis. I just want to make sure you're okay. I know Damon better than a lot of those guys, so I'm not going to dismiss this out of hand. Sometimes I even like the guy, and he's tried to kill me, so that speaks a lot for his character."

"Which part, you liking me, or me trying to kill you?" Damon's dressed now, and walks down the great oak steps with a smile on his face. "Hello, little Gilbert."

"Hello to you too, Damon. And in answer to your question, both." Jeremy looks back at his sister. "Remember when I was talking to the ghost of Rose? Before she left, she told me she was rooting for you two. I didn't get it at first, but then she said-" and he looks back at Damon, "'Damon surprises her, challenges her, makes her question her beliefs. Stefan is different. His love is pure and he'll always be good for her. Damon is either the best thing for her, or the worst.'" Damon looks surprised, and ducks his head.

"She really knows how to compliment a guy." he says, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well, she was kind of right. About all of it. Elena, when you were still human, he was poison for you. The whole world of the supernatural was trying to kill you, and he was only pulling you farther in. Stefan tried to keep you completely in the human world, whilst Damon had you one foot in, one foot out."

"Stefan didn't keep me out of anything, really. He just kept me in the dark about things so I walked into a bad situation without any knowledge." Elena says, challenging her brother to tell her otherwise.

"True." He admits. "But now that you're a vampire, things are different. The way he survives is by keeping one foot as close to his human self as possible. But you're a two feet in kinda girl. He was just throwing you off balance, trying to drag you back to the human world after you died, just like Damon would've had you unbalanced with one foot in and one foot out when you were alive. The technique that was poison before becomes the antidote." The room falls silent for a while, no one wanting to break the calm that has fallen over the room.

"Well, you've sure gotten wise in your old age, little Gilbert." Damon says finally. Jeremy smiles, glad that he's been accepted.

"It's what happens when you talk to dead people all the time." he jokes, looking over at his sister. To his surprise, he sees tears silently rolling down her cheeks. "Elena...?"

"Thank you." she says, and pulls him into a hug, weeping into his shirt.

"What...?" He trails off, then looks at Damon for help.

"Well, I'm guessing you've heard what everyone else in this town thinks of us. I'm not too sure about Matt, but I've definitely heard how Caroline and Bonnie feel, and can guess what Stefan thinks. You're the first person other than me to tell her that what she's feeling isn't wrong. And I get immediately discounted because I'm in love with her, and have repeatedly told her how selfish I am when it comes to me."

"You've also told me how you can't be selfish with me." She sniffles, voice muffled by Jeremy's shirt.

"Yeah, well, you discount me anyways. Point is, you just let her know that she isn't some strange twisted creature now, she's still herself, just with a few minor differences." 

"Elena, I could've told you that even without Damon. Maybe Bonnie and Caroline have forgotten what you were like before mom and dad passed away, but I haven't. And Stefan never knew that you. Ever since the crash, you let your depression become your defining characteristic. But ever since you became a vampire, you've been more like your old self again. Sure, you can be sad sometimes now too, but I've also seen you happy, and playful, and full of energy. The extreme emotions caused by your change are helping you return to the range you had before. You'll never forget, but you don't have to carry your sorrow with you everywhere. I'm glad for you Elena. You're finally living again."

"Thanks Jer." she mumbles into his shirt. "You're the best."

"Now, can I have my torso back? If you squeeze any harder, you're going to break my ribs."

"Yeah, sorry." she lets go, wiping the last few tears out of her eyes. "I really needed that."

"Now before I go, Bonnie and Caroline really do want to talk. They seemed really concerned for you, even if they don't understand what you're going through. It's up to you weather you want to go or not, but I think you can handle it."

After Jeremy leaves, Elena closes the door and returns to the living room, where Damon is now back on the couch.

"Can I give up my brother in exchange for yours?" He asks, only part joking.

"If you marry me, he'll be your brother-in-law."

"Are you offering?"

"Convince me."

"Oh, don't think I won't." he retorts, steely determination in his eyes. "But not just now, if you want to go talk to your friends."

"I probably should." She sighs, resigning herself. "But come with me. I'll need the moral support."


	5. Bonnie's Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little out of hand.

Elena gazes steadily at the door to Bonnie's, stiff with resignation. 

"I guess it's time to face the music." she says finally.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Damon replies, moving in front of her to look into her eyes. "If you don't feel ready, we can just go and come back another day."

"No, Matt was right. It's not fair of me to just run away with you and hide from my choices. I love you, Damon. And they are going to have to deal with that."

She gently takes his hand in her own, and walks up the front steps. Caroline opens the door, scowling when she sees Damon.

"Come on in, Elena." She says, planting a smile onto her face. Then she steps in front of Damon, blocking his path, "I thought this was just going to be us girls."

"Damon's coming with me." Elena's steely glare is focused right on Caroline, the tone of her voice leaving no question as to what will happen if she is refused.

"It's fine, Caroline." she hears Bonnie say from further in the house. "Let them both in."

Caroline huffs and moves aside reluctantly, keeping an eye on Damon as he walks past. At the last moment he sticks his tongue out at her before following Elena into the main room.

"Hello brother." Stefan is sitting in Bonnie's living room, looking none too pleased at his brother's appearance.

"I thought this was just supposed to be us girls, Caroline." Elena quotes mockingly.

"I'm sorry Elena. I just thought, maybe if you sat down and had a good, long talk, maybe you'd see-"

"See what Caroline? 'The error of my ways'?" she asks sarcastically.

"Well, yeah, basically."

"Come on Damon, we're leaving." Grabbing his hand, she pulls him towards the front door, but meets an invisible wall before she gets there.

"No, Elena, you're not." Caroline crosses her arms and waits for her words to sink in.

"What are you doing Bonnie?" asks Elena, furious.

"I figured you'd try to leave. So I had Bonnie cast a little trapping spell. We're not getting out of here until you listen to what I have to say." Caroline smirks at her own cleverness, clearly underestimating the depth of Elena's feelings.

"And what is it you have to say, Caroline?" asks Damon, as unhappy with the situation as Elena.

"What she has to say, brother, is what we're all thinking." answers Stefan from his place on the couch. "You've changed, Elena," he continues, "and your friends are worried about you. I'm worried about you."

"You're acting like a completely different person, Elena. When I turned, I just became a more intense version of myself. Neurotic control freak turned into a super-neurotic control freak. But you've completely changed!"

"Tell me how she's changed, Caroline, that you find so repulsive. I bet I can sum it up in one word for you." Damon counters, throwing himself into the line of fire, trying to block a little of the hate that's being directed at Elena.

"If that one word is your name, then feel free! It sums up everything that could possibly be wrong with a person!" Caroline snaps, taking his bait.

"Don't talk about Damon like that!" Elena hisses, fangs bared.

"I'll talk about that jerk however I want to! He's bad for you, Elena- why can't you see that?"

"I can't see something that isn't there in the first place." She starts to shift her stance, loosening her muscles as she gets ready to attack.

"You think I'm making this up? Just look at him, standing there as you fight his battles for him."

"You think this is his battle?" she laughs. "I'm fighting for me. He's standing there watching because he knows I don't need any help."

"Also, you're sexy when you're angry. I wouldn't want to miss a minute of it." he adds, smiling. Stefan looks away, jealousy getting the better of him.

"Shut up Damon, or I'll get your brother to snap your neck. You probably won't find that nearly as-" Elena pounces, going after Caroline's face with her nails.

"Don't you DARE hurt him!" she shouts, furious.

"You think you can beat me?" Caroline hisses as she fends off Elena's attack. "I may not have been a vampire very long, but I've been one longer than you."

"You're fighting because you don't like Damon. I'm fighting because I love him. I'll win." she retorts, hooking Caroline's legs out from under her. She lands heavily on top of the blonde girl.

"Still doesn't make up for age." Caroline quickly flips the two of them so she's on top, holding down Elena with one hand she raises the other to deal a heavy blow. Damon rushes over and grabs her wrist, twisting her arm behind her painfully.

"Don't do anything you'll regret later, Caroline." He states. "I'm decades older than you."

Elena takes the opportunity to slip free from under Caroline, and turns for another attack as Stefan wrenches his brother off of Caroline. Damon backs up to Elena, waiting for her signal. He feels her tense, and prepares to leap into action with her. It's only then that he catches the sound of chanting from the other side of the room. 

As he and Elena move in for the attack, he feels a wave of power wash over the pair of them. Something begins pulling at his body, and then everything fades to black.

"Oops." Bonnie says to the empty place where Damon and Elena had just been.

"Uhm... what just happened Bonnie?" Both Stefan and Caroline look at her questioningly.

"I'm not exactly sure. The spell was for 'moving someone backwards.' I intended it to just be a few feet... enough to disorient them for a bit."

"So where are they?"


	6. No Gigawatts Required

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess what Bonnie did!

Elena wakes up to the sounds of Damon swearing.

"What's happening, Damon?" she groans, trying to remember what was going on. "I was attacking... and then..."

"And then Bonnie cast a spell. Which would be just fine, if she had done it right."

"Why? Where are we?" she asks, pulling out her phone and frowning at the lack of reception.

"You're not going to get a signal. Not for a while, anyways." he looks up at the sky, trying to keep calm.

"Damon, where are we?" she asks again, worried now.

"Well, we're exactly where we were, if I have my bearings straight. When are we? Now that, I haven't got a clue. I'm not exactly sure what Bonnie did, but my guess..." he said, pausing for a moment.

"Your guess?" Elena asks.

"I think she tried to move us through space, and moved us through time instead."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on Elena. You know exactly what I mean. Time travel, Back to the Future type crap. She's gone and witched us into the last century."

"Damon, we're sitting in the middle of a field. She probably just sent us a mile or two out of town."

"Smell the air Elena. Really smell it. Your vampire senses should be able to pick it up right away."

"I don't..."

"Just do it."

And so she took a deep breath through her nose, paying close attention to the scents coming into it.

"I smell plants. And water. There's a herd of deer somewhere nearby. And... woodsmoke? But very faint."

"Exactly. Do you smell the car exhaust? Tar? All the pollutants that humans have been throwing into the air for the past 300 years are missing here. I haven't smelled air this fresh since back when I was turned into a vampire." he states bitterly.

"But Damon, wasn't Mystic Falls one of the first places a town was formed when Europeans started colonizing the new world?"

"Yeah, but..." his eyes widened as he fully grasped what she was saying. "How far back did Bonnie send us?"

"I guess we could take a look at the caves, see what's there." Elena offered. "It'll at least narrow things down a bit."

"Great. When we get down there and are almost killed by anti-vampire traps, we'll know it's post 900 AD. Really cutting down on possible years for Bonnie to have sent us to."

"Hey, it's a start."

"Guess we should get moving then. You never know what monsters could come out at night." he jokes, lifting Elena to her feet.

***

"This place is completely empty." he states, looking at the walls.

"Maybe we took a wrong turn, got turned around..."

"Elena, we've been at this for hours. I'm pretty sure we've seen every cave in this maze. There's nothing here. Not a single trap to be set off, or mural to be seen. Klaus and friends haven't been here yet."

"Which means we're pre-viking. Where were there people pre-viking?"

"Plenty of places." he replied, rolling his eyes at her spotty education. "Europe's probably in the dark ages, but I've heard Asia was pretty sophisticated even in it's early days. Ooh! South America should be full of all those people who ate other people. We'll fit right in. Maybe they'll worship us as gods!" he pulled her in close, then spun her in a circle, causing her to giggle. "Come on, let's get out of these caves. I don't want to spend another minute where Klaus is going to be living." He swings her into his arms easily, easily maneuvering the winding tunnels as he speeds outside.

"You aren't worried about this at all?" asks Elena when they reach the surface, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he lowers her to the ground.

"Why should I be? I've got prior knowledge, immortality, and you by my side. We'll be able to avoid cataclysmic events, make friends in high places before they get there, and invest in Microsoft. And, when we get back to our proper timeline, we'll both be able to throw Klaus across the room, let alone Caroline and my brother. It's win win!"

"I'm glad you're here with me. I don't know what I'd do without you." she says, burying her head in his chest.

"Hey, we're gonna be fine." he says, feeling tears begin to soak into his shirt.

"It's not..." she sobs, trying to gain hold of her emotions. "It's not that. Damon, I'm not going to see my brother for over a thousand years!" she cries, wilting in his arms.

"I know how you feel." he murmurs softly, thinking of his own brother. "Stefan may be an annoying little brat, but he's my annoying little brat." They spend a while like that, her crying in his arms, him contemplating the future.

"I'm going to miss them." she finally whispers, all cried out.

"At least we know they'll be waiting for us." he replies. "Somewhere, in the future, they're going to be standing in a room, wondering what on Earth just happened."


	7. Honey, I'm home!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Damon and Elena next walk through Mystic Falls, it's been a couple weeks since they first disappeared. Or four thousand years, depending on the viewpoint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I'm a wimp for skipping over 4 thousand years of time. But the present is what's important, I just really wanted Elena and Damon to be able to kick ass, and giving them a ridiculous amount of time was the best solution. So, if you don't like it, shoot me. And I WILL be revealing some of what happened as the story progresses. So don't worry, chicklets. Everything will be fine.

"I hope we're not too off with our timing." Elena comments as they drive over Wickery bridge, her hair blowing in the wind. She knows Damon's speeding, but she doesn't care- that's what sports cars are for. And they have a few of them. After investing in all the right companies, and simply spending several thousand years on the planet, they can afford it. 

Plus, it's exhilarating.

"We should be close. A few weeks ago we couldn't get anywhere near here, but the boundary is down. It's time."

She smiles as they pass into the town limits. They finally get to go home.

Wanting to be as dramatic as possible- a habit of Damon's that she picked up- they wait for everyone to be gathered together before they announce their presence. It takes a couple days, but soon enough everyone starts gathering for some sort of meeting at house Salvatore. Once their group of friends are all sitting in the living room, they burst through the doors. Everyone inside is noticeably startled by the dramatic entrance, and then even more so once they realize who made it. Bonnie and Matt are on one couch, Caroline and Stefan on the other. Jeremy is in a chair with his back to them, but quickly turns around at the commotion.

"Hey Bonnie! Long time no see. How's the witch business treating you?" Damon asks facetiously.

"Not that great at the moment. You should really work on your spell casting." Elena answers before anyone can react. She holds back the urge to immediately yank Jeremy into her arms and hug him, but only because she doesn't want them to think they're under attack. Though, now that she thinks about it, she could easily take all of them at once. Blindfolded. And cuffed.

"Where the hell have you guys been? We've been worried sick!" yells Caroline from her seat on the sofa.

"Sorry about the timing, we actually forgot the exact time we disappeared, so had to hazard a guess." Damon says, then laughs before going to pour himself a drink.

"It seems we were a little off." adds Elena apologetically as she takes the bourbon Damon offers her.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Bonnie looks very confused. "I just tried to move you back." Guess that proves Damon's theory, Elena thinks to herself.

Damon snickers. "Ah, so that's what you did. Well, in fact, you did move us back... In time."

"You're lying. Bonnie wouldn't ever do that! It's impossible!" Caroline's attitude reminds Elena why she was attacking her all those years ago. But she's had a few thousand years to figure out this whole control thing, so she simply rolls her eyes.

"Don't insult him Caroline. I've got a pretty good hold on my control here, but if you go too far I might do something we'll both regret." she states calmly, but firmly. She has control, sure, but no one's perfect.

"Why would you attack Caroline if you don't want to?" Stefan asks, confusion wrinkling his brow.

"We have a sire bond." Damon smirks as he watches Stefan realize the implications. Elena knows exactly why Damon is so happy to rub that in- it's proof that she was in love with Damon long before she died. And not nearly as in love with Stefan as Stefan would like to have thought.

"What, like Klaus and his hybrids?" Bonnie starts looking judgmental, and Elena sighs. She had forgotten how tiresome mortals could be. Especially witches.

"Well, yes and no. Sire bonds strengthen certain relationships by reenforcing them with magic. See, for Klaus, he's the alpha of a pack. It took the control that that status comes with and made it magically impossible for his hybrids to go against his commands. For us, it strengthens what we already had, which was love. We will defend each other to the last. We can sense the other when we get in a certain range. We can feel how the other is doing emotionally. Things like that." Damon explains, and Elena watches the faces around them. Most of them just seem shocked, but Stefan and Jeremy seem to be keeping up. Caroline looks like she's about to explode, and Elena decides to clarify and prevent a potential disaster- Car was probably remembering just how much Tyler had hated being commanded by Klaus.

"Caroline, you see the sire bond as the thing that kept Tyler bound to Klaus, a relationship maintained through fear and violence. For Damon and I, it is a symbol of extreme love, and could only have formed if the feelings we had for each other were very strong at the time of my turning. It isn't some terrible spell that changed me at the core, it just strengthened what was there."

"But what about-" Caroline starts to protest, but Stefan cuts her off.

"Elena's right, Caroline." He says, pain barely concealed on his face. "A love bonding like theirs is a completely different realm than anything Tyler went through. It's as close as you get to storybook, true love."

"Rose was right about you two." Jeremy says, chuckling. "I'm glad. But really, it's awesome and all that you're happily together, but what were you saying about time travel? That sounds way more interesting."

At that moment, Klaus walks in. His entrance isn't nearly as large as Damon and Elena's, but he's still fairly theatrical.

"Oh, good, the stray lambs have made it back to the flock. Now we can deal with the actual problems here, not a couple lovers going off for an early honeymoon."

"Oh, we did that ages ago. Nothing quite like the building of the pyramids to get you in the mood." quips Damon.

"All those sweaty men..." adds Elena, then laughs. "In all honesty though, those collars were great for hiding fang marks." It's quite the memory. They'd been having a really fun wedding in South America- a little too fun, which caused the locals to notice their eating habits. So they swam over to Egypt for a while, and she Damon had their honeymoon.

"What on Earth are you two talking about?" asks Klaus, looking between the two. "I would ask if you'd been drinking or taking hallucinogenics, but those don't work on us quite the same, so I'm at a loss."

"Klaus, do you want to go away for a while, maybe a few hours or so, let us catch up with our friends, then we'll deal with whatever crap you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Damon, I didn't realize that you had found another thousand-year-old vampire to do your dirty work for you." Damon and Elena chuckle.

"Oh, we did better than that, don't worry." And at that point, Elena grabs Klaus by the neck and holds him in the air. "So, just to be clear, here are a few ground rules." He struggles, but can't seem to free himself. "One, don't hurt my friends. You'll endure what they go through, but tenfold. Two, if one hair on Jeremy's head is put out of place by you, you're dead."

"Three, if you try going after us, we'll kill each and every hybrid of yours in front of you, then lock you in a coffin for a few hundred years." adds Damon.

"Follow the rules, and you can stick around. You'll be handy to have if there's trouble, and when you're not being a complete asshole, you're actually kind of funny. Plus, you and Caroline are cute together." Elena finishes, then throws Klaus into the wall and takes a sip of her bourbon. Caroline sputters, clearly not agreeing with Elena about her and Klaus. Elena thinks she's in denial.

"That was a little... surprising." Klaus comments as he straightens his suit, externally maintaining his composure. He's obviously frightened, but trying to cover it up. Everyone else if the room is staring at Elena and Damon, which makes Elena smile. She's quite aware she's become a bit of a drama queen in her old age, but loves every minute of it.

"A little cardio can go a long way." Damon says in lieu of an explanation, smirking.

"Just so we're on the same page here, I'm not the enemy. I'm attempting to help-" Klaus begins, but is interrupted by Damon.

"Yeah yeah, we know all about Silas and his lust for death. And we also know that the only reason you're helping is because you want the cure that he needs to achieve that death." Damon says, rolling his eyes. "Just in case you all didn't already know, there's only one dose of the bloody thing. It's hardly worth chasing after."

"Plus, there's no way I'm taking it." Adds Elena. "So unless you can find Catherine, you're not getting any more doppelganger blood."

"Well, unless..." starts Damon, but Elena looks at him, raising an eyebrow. I thought we decided to keep that a secret for now, she says with the look, knowing he'll understand every syllable. "Hmm. Nevermind." he finishes lamely, quickly taking a drink.

"No Damon, I'm curious now. Please, do continue." Of course Klaus won't let it drop. You're gonna have to give him something, she says with another look, and Damon nods slightly in agreement.

"Well, you could always protect Jeremy and be an awesome wingman, make sure he marries and has plenty of children, let them have children, and so on, until another doppelganger is born..." Damon quickly lies, covering up his near slip with ease. Elena smiles.

"Dude, did you seriously just tell Klaus to start a Gilbert breeding program?" asks Jeremy. "So not cool!"

"As your older brother-in-law, I take full responsibility for making sure you have a future."

"What if I don't want to have kids! Or get married! Or what if I was gay?"

"Are you gay?" Damon asks sweetly.

"Well no, but-"

"Then don't worry about it." Jeremy sighs at Damon's obstinance and lets the topic drop- for now. If Elena remembers anything about her younger brother, it's that he remembers every joke played on him. He'll be thinking of a way to get Damon back for this. She hopes she gets a laugh out of it- maybe she should offer to help?

"I still want to know how Elena could throw Klaus across the room." states Stefan, interrupting her inner musings. "You were saying something about time travel before he barged in, and you mentioned Egypt?"

"Long story short, Bonnie sent us back four thousand years. We lived through it till now." Elena says as she pours herself another bourbon. "It's really not that hard to follow."

"I still don't see how I did something that powerful without noticing it." mumbles Bonnie, but of course all the vampires hear it.

"Why didn't you show up months ago? You could've stopped so many terrible things from happening!" chimes in Caroline.

"There was something in the spell that stopped us from messing with anything that would have changed the future." explains Damon sourly. "It was hard to figure out at first. We couldn't drain anyone to the point of death, for starters. We would be suddenly jerked backwards if we got our prey too close to their limit when feeding- probably too many chains of events required certain ancestors of people to be alive, is my guess. We almost killed someone a couple days ago, which is why we knew it was time. Also, as we got closer to the right timeline sometimes we couldn't enter certain villages and towns, couldn't leave our rooms one day when in we were in London. Turns out whenever someone we knew was in a place, Klaus, Catherine, whoever, we couldn't get too close. Sometimes it was because a person in that village was going to later meet one of the people... it was annoying as hell."

"We didn't get to see the Hindenburg crash. That was disappointing." Elena pouts. She had come to love history, after living through so much of it. And experiencing the big moments was something of a hobby that she and Damon had taken up. Most of them were easy to get to, because she and Damon were the only ones that knew what to look for, but occasionally someone they knew just happened to be there. She wished that she could have seen Alaric again, and had a good long talk about things. The history teacher would have probably loved to hear the perspective of someone who had gone through as much as she and Damon had.

"Things got a little complicated in the last hundred years, with so many of the people we knew being alive. Luckily, none of you seemed to like Japan very much, so we spent a lot of time there in the last few decades. Made some good friends, too."

"I think we inspired a few artists." giggles Elena. She vaguely remembered the girls in middle school fawning over manga, though she never got it. But now she had characters based off of herself.

"It's because you're so beautiful." says Damon, smiling fondly.

"Oh, stop it. You're used too." she laughs, shoving at him playfully.

"Oh my god, you spent four thousand years together and you still act like teenagers in love?" groans Jeremy. Elena looks away from Damon's eyes long enough to notice the equally disgruntled looks reflected on the faces around the room. Damon snorts.

"Sorry, I forgot that everyone here hates life. Why did we decide to come back again?"

"Damon!" exclaims Elena, slapping his shoulder. She knows he's joking, but pretends not to notice.

"Yeah, yeah, I-" he starts, but she cuts him off.

"I know you know. But you're just so fun to-"

"Tease." He finishes for her. "But I was teasing you first, so it doesn't really count."

"I was counteracting your teasing with teasing. It totally counts." she states, jabbing her finger into his chest to accentuate her point. He ignores it and scoops her up, swinging her around. "Stop it, you." she says, but then her eyes fall on the TV and game console set up in the corner of the room- obviously Jeremy's been staying here rather than at home.

"Oh my gosh, Jer- I've been practicing with Damon, and we have to play some games on your Xbox. I am going to crush you." she states challengingly. She had liked the games more than she thought she would, and couldn't wait to show off her new skills. Jeremy used to beat her all the time.

"That's great Elena, but we kinda have to deal with Silas right now."

"Silas-shmilas. Let him get his stupid cure and die already." Damon snarks.

"Elena, just weeks ago you were saying how much you wanted to be human again... I wanted to get the cure for you." Stefan looks at her steadily, and she wants to punch him in the face. Damon senses her mood swing and sets her down. The way Stefan thinks that he knows what's best really pisses her off. She could barely remember the days when she had hated this life. Now, she certainly wouldn't want anything else. Containing her anger, she calmly palms a toothpick she keeps on her for just this situation and wanders over to Stefan, winking at Damon on her way over. He smiles, knowing exactly what she's about to do. It's a trick she learned from a wonderful duchess in the early 1700's, a lady that knew exactly how much power she had and how to control the people around her.

When Elena reached Stefan, she smiled kindly, then with a motion that looked like it was going to be gentle, slowly pushed the vervain-soaked sliver of wood into his skin. He hisses in pain.

"Not in a million years." she says coolly, leaving it in and walking away.  



End file.
